Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Whirlpool Corporation: Tumble Dryers

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many affected Whirlpool customers the Office for Product Safety and Standards contacted as part of its review of the company's handling of its tumble dryer safety issue announced in November 2015.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Office for Product Safety and Standards review focussed on engineering assessment of Whirlpool tumble dryers and expert analysis of data including fire and incident data from Fire and Rescue Services, Which? and Whirlpool. It also reviewed whether Whirlpool’s consumer outreach programme was adequate.The review included input from scientific, legal and product safety experts including from the Government’s Health and Safety Laboratory and the BEIS Chief Scientific Advisor.Interviews with consumers did not form part of the review.

Waste: Energy

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what investment his Department has made in university and other institutions researching into energy from waste with heat recovery.

Chris Skidmore: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds high quality research and innovation as part of the Government’s wider ambition to increase the UK’s total R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. UKRI works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish. Current examples that relate to generating energy from waste include £1.7m from Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council through the Global Challenges Research Fund for a project led by the University of Leeds to facilitate the production of biogas, clean water, and the recovery of nutrients, from nutrient rich waste.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Secondment

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of  25 March 2019 to Question 234783 on Department for International Development: Secondment, what teams within his Department the five requested roles from the Department for International Development will be in.

Sir Alan Duncan: Staff on secondment from the Department for International Development to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for EU exit purposes are being assigned to roles in the Directorate-General for EU Exit.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many Foreign Office employees were (a) seconded and (b) permanently transferred to the Department for Exiting the European Union (a) between June 2016 and December 2018, and (b) between December 2018 and April 2019.

Sir Alan Duncan: 26 Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff were loaned to the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) between June 2016 and December 2018.Fewer than five Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff were loaned to DExEU between December 2018 and 10 April 2019.No Foreign and Commonwealth Office employees transferred permenently to DExEU between June 2016 and 10 April 2019.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many diplomatic fast stream staff were (a) seconded and (b) permanently transferred to the Department for Exiting the European Union (a) between June 2016 and December 2018 and (b) between December 2018 and April 2019.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not seconded or permanently transferred any Diplomatic Service Fast Stream staff to the Department for Exiting the European Union between June 2016 and April 2019.

Doan Thi Huong

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Malaysian counterpart on the sentencing of Doan Thi Huong for her role in the murder of Kim Jong-nam.

Mark Field: ​We have closely followed the case of Doan Thi Huong in relation to her role in the murder of Kim Jong-nam. Murder charges in her case have been dropped after she pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and she is expected to be freed by the Malaysian authorities in May 2019. The Foreign Secretary has not had discussions with his Malaysian counterpart on the legalities her specific case, however Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in Kuala Lumpur continue to follow developments closely.The UK supported the June 2018 Decision of the Conference of States Parties of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) that condemned the use of the nerve agent VX in the attack in Kuala Lumpur in 2017. We have encouraged the Government of Malaysia to pursue a thorough investigation and to share information with the OPCW.

Asia Bibi

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in the Pakistan Government on allowing Asia Bibi to leave the country in safety.

Mark Field: As the Foreign Secretary stated in Parliament on 2 April, her case remains a high priority for the British Government. We continue to be in close, regular contact with international partners to ensure a positive outcome for Asia Bibi and her family.

Brunei: Homosexuality

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Brunei Government on the introduction of death by stoning as a punishment for same-sex relationships in that country.

Mark Field: ​The Foreign Secretary and I met Brunei's Foreign Minister Dato Erywan and Finance Minister Dato Amin Liew in London on 11 April. Ahead of this meeting the Foreign Secretary spoke to Dato Erywan on 4 April. The Foreign Secretary expressed the UK's deep concern following the implementation of the final phases of the Sharia Penal Code and was clear that the UK strongly opposes corporal and capital punishment. He also made clear that no one should face persecution or discrimination because of who they are and whom they love.I raised UK concerns with the Sultan about hudud punishments during my visit to Brunei Darussalam in August 2018.

Brunei: Homosexuality

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the (a) Commonwealth, (b) Commonwealth Secretariat and (c) Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the introduction of death by stoning as a punishment for same-sex relationships in the Sultanate of Brunei.

Mark Field: The Minister for the Commonwealth and the UN spoke to the Commonwealth Secretary General on 4 April about the situation in Brunei. As current Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth, the UK attends the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group. The Foreign Secretary plans to attend the next meeting which will take place later this month, and will reiterate the UK's firm support for the values of the Commonwealth Charter, and our encouragement to other member states to adhere to those values. By convention, members do not confirm in advance which specific issues will be raised in that forum.

Brunei: Homosexuality

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to offer his public support to civil society groups in Brunei and across the Commonwealth who are working to oppose the introduction of death by stoning as a punishment for same-sex relationships in the Sultanate of Brunei.

Mark Field: ​The Foreign Secretary has made public his deep opposition to the implementation of Sharia Penal Code in Brunei. He has been clear that that we will speak out to defend our values globally, including the freedom to be who you are and to love without fear.

Brunei: Homosexuality

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is the Government's policy to support the suspension of Brunei from the Commonwealth of Nations as a result of that country's legislation to make homosexuality a crime punishable by death.

Mark Field: The UK encourages all Commonwealth partners to protect and promote the values in the Commonwealth Charter, including its opposition to all forms of discrimination. We have made clear that nobody should face persecution or discrimination because of who they are or whom they love.Brunei is one of several Commonwealth countries that imposes corporal and capital punishments. It has now introduced new potential penalties under the Sharia Penal Code.We have raised our concerns with the Government of Brunei. We will continue to encourage Brunei to remove corporal and capital punishment from its statutes, to pass laws that decriminalise same-sex relations and protect LGBT people from all forms of discrimination.

Department of Health and Social Care

Primary Health Care: Staff

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in each profession will constitute the 20,000 additional staff guaranteed to Primary Care Networks by 2023-24; and what criteria his Department uses to calculating the demand for those posts.

Seema Kennedy: The new GP contract framework, published on 31 January 2019, set out plans for an ‘Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme’ in Primary Care Networks. This will provide guaranteed funding for up to an estimated 20,000 additional staff by 2023/24 and will fund new roles for which there is both credible supply and demand. The funding available will be phased and will meet a recurrent 70% of costs for additional clinical pharmacists, physician associates, first contact physiotherapists and first contact community paramedics; and 100% of the costs of additional social prescribing link workers. The actual distribution of the workforce increase across these five roles will depend on the choices that individual networks make, working with their system partners, and taking in to account their existing workforce. From 2020/21, each network will be allotted a single combined maximum reimbursement sum, covering all five staff roles, offering Primary Care Networks flexibility to decide how many of each of the reimbursable staff they wish to engage, within their Additional Roles Sum.

Patients: Transport

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department provided for transport for patients to attend appointments in each year for which information is available.

Seema Kennedy: Neither the Department nor NHS England hold the information requested.NHS England allocates funding to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). Individual CCGs are responsible for commissioning local services, such as patient transport services, based on population need.It is for local leaders working together with NHS England and NHS Improvement, to make the best use of the funding that has been allocated to them.

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the increase in cases of (a) syphilis and (b) gonorrhoea; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has undertaken on the reasons for increasing rates of (a) syphilis and (b) gonorrhoea.

Seema Kennedy: To address the increase in syphilis diagnoses in England, Public Health England (PHE) is developing a Syphilis Action Plan, with recommendations for PHE and partner organisations, to improve detection, surveillance and clinical management. PHE plans to publish its Syphilis Action Plan in spring 2019.To reduce the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including gonorrhoea and syphilis, PHE launched the ‘Protect Against STIs’ health promotion campaign in 2017/18 to promote condom use and positive sexual relationships among 16 to 24-year olds. This campaign can be viewed at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/protect-against-stis-use-a-condom/homeAdditionally, HIV Prevention England has been contracted to deliver a HIV prevention programme aimed at gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, black Africans, and other black minority ethnic populations. This programme promotes condom use and awareness of sexually transmitted infections including gonorrhoea and syphilis. More information on this programme can be found at the following link: http://www.hivpreventionengland.org.uk/

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,  what estimate he has made of the change in the number of people diagnosed with Crohn's disease between 2008 and 2018.

Seema Kennedy: Holding answer received on 15 April 2019



Information regarding number of patients diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in any one year is not available, and therefore no estimate has been made. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, ‘Crohn’s disease: management’, updated in 2016 to reflect the last available evidence, states that at least 115,000 people in the United Kingdom have the condition. The guidance can be found at the following link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg152/resources/crohns-disease-management-pdf-35109627942085

Urinary Tract Infections: Screening

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 April 2019 to Question 237733, what representations he has received on the capability of NHS urinary trace infection screening tests to detect bacteria hidden in the bladder's lining.

Seema Kennedy: A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified four items of correspondence received on the capability of National Health Service urinary tract infection (UTI) screening tests to detect bacteria in the bladder's lining during the past 12 months. This figure represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only.In November 2018 Public Health England published guidance on the diagnosis of UTIs. This guidance states that “no individual or combination (of symptoms or dipstick) are completely reliable in diagnosing UTI, thus severity of symptoms and safety-netting are important.”

Breast Cancer: Screening

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to lower the mammogram screening age to help prevent breast cancer among younger women.

Seema Kennedy: There are currently no plans to lower the age of the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme, which offers all women between the ages of 50 to their 71st birthday the opportunity to be screened every three years for breast cancer.The United Kingdom National Screening Committee awaits the publication of the Age Extension Trial which is looking at the benefits and harms of screening outside the recommended screening age. It is expected that the trial will report in 2026.

Breast Cancer

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce rates of breast cancer in women with BRCA 1 and 2 genes.

Seema Kennedy: NHS England commissions breast cancer screening services, according to the published national service specifications. The Breast Cancer Screening Programme service specification includes provision for the surveillance of high risk women for early detection of breast cancer (including those with the BRCA 1 and 2 genes) and timely referral to treatment as appropriate. Specifically, following an assessment by specialised services, and referral from a genetics or oncology service, high risk women who meet the eligibility criteria (as outlined in the published guidance) will be included in the screening programme at a younger age and according to different protocols to the general population.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of NHS prescriptions for medicine in which THC is the dominant ingredient.

Seema Kennedy: Holding answer received on 15 April 2019



The Department has made no estimate of the number of National Health Service prescriptions for cannabis-based products in which delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the dominant ingredient. NHS England is using extant systems to monitor use of the newly rescheduled unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use in England. In England, these systems monitor the number of items dispensed and associated costs in primary care and the volume of products used and associated cost in secondary care. NHS England Controlled Drug Accountable Officers are also collecting local intelligence in both the NHS and independent sector.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice has been issued to Clinical Commissioning Groups on the criteria for the prescription of medicinal cannabis.

Seema Kennedy: The Chief Medical Officer and NHS England issued a letter on the 31 October 2018, and a supplementary letter on 20 November 2018, providing guidance to clinicians, the National Health Service and independent organisations following the rescheduling of cannabis-based products for medicinal use on 1 November 2018. This signposts interim guidance issued by the Royal College of Physicians, British Paediatric Neurology Association and Association of British Neurologists. Furthermore, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), has been commissioned to develop guidelines on the prescribing of cannabis-based medicinal products by October 2019. The guidance will focus on four indications: chronic pain, intractable nausea and vomiting, treatment-resistant epilepsy and spasticity. It will be based on the best available international evidence and produced using NICE’s world-renowned process for delivering such guidelines. This guidance will update and replace the interim guidance.

Health Services: Tourism

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to support NHS trusts in areas with high volumes of tourists areas to help ensure the quality of treatment offered to residents.

Seema Kennedy: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) provide a wide range of health care services based on their local population needs using their knowledge and links to the community in which they work, and will use these plans to decide how to best use their budgets to make sure they are delivering high quality care to their patients.While general practitioner practices do not receive any extra funding for patients that register temporarily with them, the costs are factored into practices baseline funding through a temporary patient adjustment. Where a practice has faced a significant increase or decrease in the numbers of temporary patients requiring treatment from it, NHS England may review the amount used for the temporary patient adjustment.

Stem Cells: Transplant Surgery

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) children and (b) adults were (i) recommended for a stem cell transplant and (ii) received such a transplant in each of the last five years; and what proportion of (A) children and (B) adults received the transplant to treat (1) acute myeloid leukaemia (2) acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, (3) Hodgkin lymphoma, (4) non-hodgkin lymphoma, (5) multiple myeloma and (6) non-malignant blood disorders.

Seema Kennedy: The data is not held in the format requested.

Department for International Development

Overseas Aid

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2019 to Question 239838 on Department for International Development: Secondment, what specific projects or programmes have been slowed or paused in the coming year in order to support the EU exit related resource requirements of other government departments.

Harriett Baldwin: In light of the agreed extension of Article 50, DFID staff who have been deployed to other government departments to support EU Exit planning will return as soon as possible. To release staff for deployment, DFID undertook a prioritisation exercise to review delivery plans guided by the core principle that essential business (delivering the 0.7% commitment and providing lifesaving humanitarian response) was protected. DFID did not stop any programmes. Some internal corporate controls were relaxed, and new policy work and cross-Whitehall and international engagement were slowed, however this was temporary as a direct result of deployments. This work will be recommenced as staff return from their deployments.

Department for International Development: Brexit

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many FTE staff in her Department are working on preparing for leaving the EU without a deal.

Harriett Baldwin: 78 (77.24 FTE) DFID staff from across the Department are working internally to support projects related to the UK leaving the EU, with and without a deal.

Development Aid: Charities

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department provides to small charities that provide international development assistance.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID’s Small Charities Challenge Fund opened in September 2017 as a pilot fund to support small British charities working towards the Global Goals. 53 grants to small British charities have been approved and further grants will be announced shortly. Grantees include Welsh charity Bees for Development who are providing training for new beekeepers in Ethiopia and Ipswich-based P.H.O.E.B.E. who are setting working with women with mental health issues in Zimbabwe. We will launch the scheme as a permanent fund in Summer 2019.

Department for Education

Construction: Training

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Construction Industry Training Board is taking to increase take-up rates of short courses among school leavers.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the take-up rates among school leavers of short courses promoted by the Construction Industry Training Board.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial assistance is available to school leavers from low-income households undertaking short courses that are promoted by the Construction Industry Training Board.

Anne Milton: The Construction Industry Training Board provides support for young people to access apprenticeships, and is involved in developing the Construction technical route, with the Design Surveying and Planning T level to be offered from September 2020. We believe that these substantive vocational qualifications rather than short courses are the best route to provide young people with the experience and skills needed to secure a career in the construction industry.Apprentices are employed and earn a wage so do not require financial assistance. Data on the take-up of apprenticeships is included in the March 2019 apprenticeships and levy statistics available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/789653/Apprenticeship-and-levy-statistics-Mar2019_.pdf.​The CITB is currently investing over £20 million in piloting the Construction Skills Fund, a short course that is aimed at supporting non-traditional routes into construction (such as ex-offenders or the long-term unemployed), who we believe are most likely to benefit from this approach, which may then lead on to more substantive qualifications such as an apprenticeship.

Class Sizes

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking so that classes are not overcrowded and children get the attention they need in the classroom.

Nick Gibb: In 2018, overall, there were 340 fewer schools that were at or over capacity compared with 2010. Delivering new school places is a top priority for the Government. The Department has committed £7 billion to deliver new school places between 2015 and 2021, on top of investment in the free schools programme. 921,000 additional school places were created between May 2010 and May 2018 and one million places are on track to be created this decade (2010 to 2020), the largest increase in school capacity for at least two generations.

Education: Parents

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is taking to encourage parents to help their children with their homework and education.

Nick Gibb: Teachers are best placed to determine the homework that best supports pupils in their education. Whilst parental support is important if their children are to gain maximum benefit, homework is generally designed to foster independent study. Ultimately, the responsibility for a child’s education is a shared one. Parental involvement makes an important difference, from the very earliest stage. In the early years, parents can support their child’s development through, for example, storytelling, reading or singing together. In the school years, parents should take a full interest in their children’s education. Parents also have an important role in developing their children’s character traits such as conscientiousness, drive and perseverance, to help them succeed both in and out of school.

Students: Plagiarism

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students had their university degree award rescinded due to cheating or plagiarism in each of the last three years.

Chris Skidmore: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Overseas Students: EU Nationals

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether EU  nationals will remain eligible for home fee status at UK universities in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Chris Skidmore: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Local Government: Work Experience

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2019 to Question 226704 on Local Authorities: Work Experience, whether his Department's definition of completed requires completion of the structured study programme and a minimum of 6 months with an employer.

Nadhim Zahawi: Providers are free to design their supported internship programme (a type of post-16 study programme) to fit their local circumstances and to meet the needs of their learners. However, the following principles should be followed and met, in order for a supported internship to be recorded as completed:A significant majority of the intern’s time must be spent at the employer’s premises (work placements of at least 6 months). Whilst at the employer, the young person will be expected to comply with real job conditions. Interns must do some form of learning alongside their time at the employer, including relevant aspects of English and maths. Work placement jobs must work for both the young person and the employer. For the young person, the job must fit with their vocational profile, contribute to their long term career goal and be flexible to address barriers where necessary. For the employer, they must meet a real business need. As the goal is for the young person to end up in paid employment, employers taking on interns should have a job available to offer at the end of it, should the intern meet the standard. The provision of support to the young person and to the employer, including job coaching support. Learning providers must complete the Individual Learner Record funding return confirming that the young person has met the core aims of their supported internship.​

Overseas Students: EU Nationals

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the introduction of international fees on the number of applications from EU nationals for (a) undergraduate, (b) Masters and (c) PhD study.

Chris Skidmore: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pre-School Education: Disadvantaged

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children in receipt of a funded place for disadvantaged two year olds are receiving that placement in (a) a PVI setting, (b) a childminder setting, (c) a maintained nursery school, (d) a nursery class in a school in each local authority area.

Nadhim Zahawi: The data requested is shown in the attached table.



242853_Funded_early_education_places
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Sixth Form Education: Finance

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an increase to the national funding rate for sixth form students a priority in his Department’s spending review submission.

Anne Milton: We are looking carefully at funding for 16 to 19 year olds in all types of institutions in preparation for the Spending Review and we do recognise the funding challenges in the sector at the moment. We are considering how effective our funding and regulatory structures are in supporting high quality provision, and in line with the aims of the Post-18 Review, to ensure a coherent vision for further and higher education.

Ministry of Justice

Offenders: Electronic Tagging

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2019 to Question 234706 on Offenders: Electronic Tagging, how many monitoring starts under the existing monitoring scheme there have been in each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 15 April 2019



Information on the number of electronic monitoring starts for 2015 to 2018 is contained within the table below. Data for the year ending March 2019 will be provided in the next HMPPS Annual Digest, due to be published in July 2019. Data for 2014 is of poor quality and not available. Table: New electronic monitoring order notifications by order type, England and Wales, for the years ending March 2015 to March 2018 (1)(2)(3)(4)(5) Numbers 12 months ending MarchType of Order2015 2016 2017 2018TOTAL NOTIFICATIONS71,930r69,204r63,455r58,128Bail20,143r18,618r15,707r15,008Court Sentence40,798r39,665r36,811r30,570Post Release10,194r10,067r10,390r12,005Immigration775r822r503 492Specials20 32 44 53Source: EMS Contractor data   r - Figures have been revised since previous reports were published. The differences are generally small and due to the provisional nature of the data when published previously.   (1) These figures are drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.   (2) Includes orders for subjects on bail, sentenced to a court order, released from custody on licence, immigration orders managed by the Home Office, and a small number of Special orders.   (3) One subject may be given multiple orders over the course of the year. In these figures each is counted individually. I.e. one person with four orders counts as four.   (4) Comprises notifications of new electronic monitoring orders received by the EM contractor that started between April 2014 and March 2018. In some cases the monitoring equipment may never have been installed, e.g. if the subject is taken into custody prior to installation. These cases are included in the total.   (5) Figures for the year ending March 2018 are provisional

Offenders: Electronic Tagging

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2019 to Question 234706 on Offenders: Electronic Tagging, who the decision-makers will be that will apply the necessary reasonableness, proportionality and necessity tests for use of the 1,000 GPS tags available at any one time.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2019 to Question 234706 on Offenders: Electronic Tagging, whether new policy guidelines will be issued to assist decision makers on deciding which offenders will be given GPS tags.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 15 April 2019



GPS tags are available nationally for eligible post-custody cohorts. For Home Detention Curfew cases, the prison governor is the decision maker. We have provided prison governors with guidance about the capabilities and uses of location monitoring. For prisoners serving a Life Sentence, Imprisonment for Public Protection or Extended Determinate Sentence, the decision rests with the Parole Board. We have provided the Parole Board with information about the capabilities and uses of location monitoring. GPS tags are also being rolled out for use in courts, as a requirement of a Community Order, a Suspended Sentence Order or Court-imposed bail. In these cases, the decision will rest with the Judiciary. We have provided the independent Judiciary with information about the capabilities and uses of location monitoring

Community Orders: Mental Health Services

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people serving community sentences were referred to a mental health service between October 2017 - September 2018 asa (a) raw number and (b) percentage of total release broken down by CRC.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people under post-prison supervision as part of a 6 months sentence or less were referred to a mental health service between October 2017- September 2018 as a (a) raw number and (b) percentage of total release broken down by CRC.

Edward Argar: The mechanism by which those sentenced to a community order will access mental health treatment is through a treatment requirement. The table below shows the number of Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTRs) commenced under community orders and suspended sentence orders in England and Wales in 2016 and 2017. Data for 2018 will be available later this month. We are unable to provide a breakdown by CRC area. Year Number of MHTRs commenced  2016 669 (less than 1% of all requirements commenced under community orders and suspended sentence orders in 2016)2017 538 (less than 1% of all requirements commenced under community orders and suspended sentence orders in 2017)There is no available published data for offenders released on licence. Other means of referrals into mental health treatment and/or services include GPs and Prison Healthcare providers however data for people released from short sentences is not recorded. We are working with the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and Public Health England on a protocol to support the greater use of community sentences with treatment requirements in courts, including MHTRs. The Community Sentence Treatment Requirement (CSTR) protocol sets out what is expected from all relevant agencies to ensure improved access to treatment for offenders who need it. It focuses on reducing reoffending by addressing the health needs of offenders that may be contributing to their offending behaviour.

Prisoners: Children in Care

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people serving prison sentences have previously been in care as (a) a raw number and (b) a proportion of total population with the data shown separately for (i) women and (ii) men.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) women and (b) men serving short prison sentences of under six months have been in care.

Edward Argar: The Prison NOMIS system records 3,087 currently serving prisoners who are care leavers, 2,790 of these are men, 296 are women, and one did not specify a gender. This alert field is not mandatory, and has only been available since 2014, so we cannot be certain it captures all those in custody who have been in care. Total weekly prison population figures can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-population-figures-2019 We cannot at this time calculate which of these prisoners were sentenced to less than six months’ imprisonment because of the way the prison case management system (NOMIS) takes account of recall.  .

Durham Prison: Prisoners' Release

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) male and (b) female prisoners released from HMP Durham were released into homelessness in each month since April 2016.

Edward Argar: This information requested is shown in the attached table. Our reforms to probation are designed to encourage long-term rehabilitation and ultimately reduce reoffending – and the first step in this is ensuring that everyone leaving prison has access to secure and stable accommodation. We are improving support for offenders leaving prison with a £22 million investment in through-the-gate services which will help to strengthen ties with key partners, including the third sector, local authorities and the police. At the same time we are investing £6m as part of the Government’s Rough Sleeping Strategy in pilot schemes bringing together prisons, local authorities, probation providers and others to plan, secure and sustain accommodation for offenders on their release. 



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 19.1 KB)

Legal Aid Scheme

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the process is by which the civil and criminal legal aid means test thresholds have been evaluated since they were last reviewed and uprated in 2008 and 2009.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Legal Aid Scheme

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department's budget of the increased number of litigants in person as a result of the means test threshold not being uprated in line with inflation in (a) civil legal aid since 2008 and (b) criminal legal aid since 2009.

Edward Argar: It is not possible to estimate the cost to the Ministry of Justice of any increase in the number of litigants in person as a direct result of not uprating the legal aid means test thresholds since 2008/2009.The Legal Support Action Plan, published in February 2019, confirmed that the Ministry of Justice will undertake a legal aid means test review which will study the thresholds for legal aid entitlement as well as the effectiveness with which the means testing arrangements appropriately protect access to justice, particularly for the vulnerable. Within this review, we will evaluate a wide range of evidence from both within and outside of government, liaising with experts from across the field to explore any improvements to the system.The Ministry of Justice has also announced that it is doubling its funding for the Litigants in Person Support Strategy to £3 million per year for the next two years, to ensure that those representing themselves in court can access the support they need.

Prisons: Contracts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2019 to Question 231525 on Prisons: Contracts, on what date the Operator Competition Services Brochure was placed in the House library.

Edward Argar: A copy of the Prison Operator Services Framework Competition brochure was placed in the House of Commons library on 15 March 2019.

Prisons: Contracts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 9 of the Prison Operator Competition Brochure, published by HM Prison & Probation Service in November 2018, what national authority contracts that bidders will have access to.

Edward Argar: In relation to the national authority contracts as referenced on page nine of the Prison Operator Competition Brochure, bidders will have access to Authority Contracts for retail, utilities, education, uniform and food.

Roads: Accidents

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the merits of exempting road users injured in the course of their employment from the measures contained within the Civil Liability Act.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 15 April 2019



The provisions in Part One of the Civil Liability Act (the Act) apply to the occupants of a motor vehicle. This includes all such claimants, whether they are driving, or a passenger in, a motor vehicle, and whether or not they were injured in the course of their employment.Wide ranging debates on whether road users injured in the course of their employment should be exempted from the Government’s reforms, were held in both Houses during the Parliamentary passage of the Act. The Government stated its clear position on this point during those debates (Civil Liability Bill [HL], Lords Committee Debate, 10 May 2018, Columns 278/279 and Civil Liability [Lords] Commons Committee Debate, 11 September 2018, Column 8).

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Sales

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of residential property transactions that do not complete the legal purchase process in the latest period for which figures are available.

Rishi Sunak: The Government does not collect data on the number of housing transactions which fall through. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the fall through rate is around 25 per cent, which is why the Government is working with industry to trial reservation agreements which will increase commitment between buyers and sellers and should reduce the failure rate.

Homelessness: Sikhs

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2019 to Question 240066 on Homelessness: Sikhs, what steps her Department is taking to determine how many homeless people are Sikh.

Rishi Sunak: My Department has no current plans to collect information on the number of homeless people who are Sikh.In April 2018 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government introduced a new case-level data collection called H-CLIC (Homelessness Case Level Information Collection). This gives local authorities and Government more information regarding homelessness and those presenting as homeless, including demographic information.The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.In its first year, our Rough Sleeping Initiative provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff.

Business Premises: Rents

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of commercial rents levied in London in the last five years.

Rishi Sunak: The Department does not hold the information requested, as the level of rent paid by the tenant of a commercial property is agreed by the landlord and tenant on an individual basis and this information is not reported centrally to the Department.

Non-domestic Rates

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Department its taking to ensure the affordability of business rates.

Rishi Sunak: Since Budget 2016 the Government has introduced a range of business rates measures in England, worth over £13 billion over the next five years. These include doubling Small Business Rate Relief from 50 per cent to 100 per cent for eligible businesses and raising the threshold for 100 per cent relief from £6,000 to £12,000. As a result, over 655,000 small businesses –a third of all rateable properties – pay no business rates at all. We have also switched the annual indexation of business rates from the retail price index to the consumer price index, representing a cut in business rates every year. Switching to CPI will help all ratepayers and save them over £6 billion over the next five years. The retail discount announced at the Budget provides eligible retailers with a third off their bills for two years from April 2019.

Nurseries: Non-domestic Rates

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what business rate relief is available to independent nursery providers; and on what basis that relief is calculated.

Rishi Sunak: Since Budget 2016 the Government has introduced a range of business rates measures in England worth £13 billion over the next five years. This includes switching the annual indexation of business rates from the retail price index to the consumer price index, representing a cut in business rates every year to all ratepayers, including nurseries, and saving businesses over £6 billion over the next five years. It also includes doubling small business rate relief from 50 per cent to 100 per cent for eligible businesses and raising the threshold for 100 per cent relief from £6,000 to £12,000. Eligible businesses with a rateable value between £12,000 and £15,000 will be entitled to tapered relief. Independent nursery providers may therefore be eligible for small business rate relief if they occupy a single property with a rateable value below £15,000. After the 2017 revaluation, the Government established a £300 million fund to enable local authorities to provide additional targeted support to their local businesses.

Homelessness

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce homelessness in (a) the UK and (b) the West Midlands.

Rishi Sunak: This Department has policy responsibility for setting the national framework for housing, including homelessness and rough sleeping in England.The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.Ahead of the Rough Sleeping Strategy we announced a new Rough Sleeping Initiative in order to have an immediate impact on reducing the levels of rough sleeping. Measures within the initiative include:a cross-government, multi-disciplinary new Rough Sleeping Team;a £30 million fund for 2018-19 for local authorities with high number of people sleeping rough, providing over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff;a further £46 million fund for 2019-20 to help tackle rough sleeping, providing an estimated 2,600 bed spaces and 750 staff;£100,000 funding to support frontline Rough Sleeping staff across the country and equipping them with the right skills and knowledge to work with vulnerable rough sleepers.In April 2018 the Homelessness Reduction Act, the most ambitious legislative reform in decades came into force. The Act transforms the culture of homelessness service delivery. It placed new duties on local housing authorities to take reasonable steps to try to prevent  and relieve a person’s homelessness.In 2018/19 the West Midlands received £25 million to support the delivery of homelessness services. This includes £1.4 million to pilot the Housing First approach with their most entrenched rough sleepers; £90.909 to boost the support offer for vulnerable veterans who are, or at risk of becoming homeless; £1.8 million as part of the Rough Sleeping Initiative; and £1.4 million in new burdens funding to implement the Homelessness Reduction Act.

Housing: Young People

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help young people get on the housing ladder; and if he will make a statement.

Rishi Sunak: The Government is committed to building a housing market which works for everyone. We recognise that for too many people home-ownership is un-affordable. Addressing this affordability challenge requires building the homes our country needs. That is why we intend to deliver 300,000 homes per year, the largest annual increase in housing supply since the 1970s. Since 2010, over half a million households have been helped to purchase a home through government backed schemes, including Help to Buy and Right to Buy. The recent Evaluation of Help to Buy: Equity Loan from 2015 to 2017 found that 63 per cent of first-time buyers benefiting from the scheme were under 35 years old. Building on this, the 2017 Autumn Budget announced a new stamp duty land tax relief benefiting 95 per cent of first time buyers who pay it – over 18,500 have been helped so far.

Housing: Construction

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve building (a) standards and (b) quality.

Rishi Sunak: The Government is committed to high standards and good quality design for new buildings. The Government is already committed to reviewing the energy performance and accessibility standards in Building Regulations and as part of its plan to implement the findings of Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review of Building Regulations and fire safety, the Government is putting in place a programme to review the guidance which supports the Building Regulations. In July 2018 the Government issued a revised National Planning Policy Framework which includes a separate chapter on design quality, and we have established a comprehensive programme of work to drive improved design quality.

Housing: Construction

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to encourage developers to build low-carbon and sustainable homes.

Rishi Sunak: In the Spring Statement, the Government committed to introduce a Future Homes Standard by 2025 for new build homes to be future-proofed with low carbon heating and world-leading levels of energy efficiency, to create healthy homes that are fit for the future, have low energy bills, and are better for the environment.   The Future Homes Standard will be implemented through an uplift to the Building Regulations, subject to consultation. We will expand on the technical detail of these proposals in our proposed consultation on energy efficiency standards later this year.

Parish Councils

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of Town and Parish Councils in 2018.

Rishi Sunak: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has not made any assessment of the cost to the public purse of Parish councils as they do not receive Government funding. Parish councils are funded by a precept upon local taxpayers through council tax.

Housing: Construction

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to encourage the inclusion of sustainable technologies, including energy production and waste disposal, in new-build developments.

Rishi Sunak: The Building Regulations set minimum energy performance and waste provision standards for new homes and non-domestic buildings. They are deliberately couched in performance terms and do not prescribe the sustainable technologies to be used, allowing builders the flexibility to innovate and select the most practical and cost effective solutions in particular circumstances.As part of its response to Dame Judith Hackitt's independent review of Building Regulations and fire safety, the Government is developing a programme to review the Building Regulations' guidance. A review of the energy performance standards in Building Regulations is already underway.

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of (a) men and (b) women receiving pension payments that are below the state pension minimum.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the number of (a) men and (b) women receiving the lowest possible amount of state pension payment.

Guy Opperman: There is no single lowest or minimum payment of the State Pension. This is because the amount received varies depending on individual circumstances, including when State Pension age is reached, the National Insurance record and the qualifying rules under which the State Pension is calculated. This means it is not possible to provide an estimate of the numbers of people receiving the lowest amount or amounts below a minimum. The old State Pension (for people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016) could be made up of the basic State Pension, additional State Pension and Graduated Retirement Benefit. Each of these elements had their own rules. For those who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2010, an individual needed to have a minimum of one qualifying year of paid or treated as having been paid National Insurance contributions, and at least 25 per cent of the qualifying years required for a full basic State Pension in order to get any basic State Pension. Women normally needed 39 qualifying years and men 44 qualifying years to get a full basic State Pension (currently £129.20 per week). Proportionate rates were paid depending on the number of qualifying years once the minimum qualifying conditions were met. For those reaching State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010, but before 6th April 2016, one qualifying year of paid or credited National Insurance contributions gave entitlement to some basic State Pension and 30 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions were required for a full basic State Pension. Proportionate rates were paid depending on the number of qualifying years between one and 30. The amount of Additional State Pension was based on a person’s earnings, National Insurance position and whether they had been contracted out of the State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme or, from 2002, State Second Pension. Graduated Retirement Benefit was based on the number of units that had been obtained between 1961 and 1975. The new State Pension (for those reaching State Pension age from 6 April 2016 onwards) is based on an individual’s National Insurance record. The minimum qualifying period is usually 10 years of contributions to get any new State Pension so a person with 10 qualifying years will receive 10/35ths of the full rate which is around £48 a week (2019/20 rates). People with no pre-existing National Insurance record prior to 6 April 2016 will require 35 years of contributions to receive the full new State Pension amount (currently £168.60 a week). Proportionate rates are paid depending on the number of qualifying years once the minimum qualifying conditions are met. For people with an existing National Insurance record at 6 April 2016, transitional arrangements take their previous contributions into account. This is done by calculating a starting amount for the new State Pension which is based on their previous National Insurance record. If the starting amount is less than the full rate of the new State Pension, they may be able to add qualifying years from 6 April 2016, until they reach the full amount or their State Pension age, whichever comes first. This means that they will receive at least as much from the new State Pension as they would have done from the old system, based on their National Insurance record to 6 April 2016.Pensioners on a low income may be entitled to Pension Credit. Pension Credit is an income-related benefit for the poorest pensioners who have been unable to provide for their retirement. The amount of Pension Credit a person gets depends on how much money they have coming in each week and how much they have saved or invested.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Renewable Energy: Waste

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many energy from waste facilities both feed energy into the National Grid and use heat produced to warm local public facilities such as housing.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We do not have detailed records of heat customers.

Northern Ireland Office

Welfare State: Northern Ireland

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps she is taking to help ensure the continuation of the additional welfare support package due to end next year.

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she plans to  meet Professor Eileen Evason to discuss the scheduled review of the welfare reform supports put in place by the Northern Ireland Executive and due to end next year.

John Penrose: The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland is responsible for the delivery of the various mitigation schemes relating to welfare reform in Northern Ireland. Their officials are ensuring that appropriate advice in relation to welfare mitigations is available for an incoming Minister.In addition, the Northern Ireland Affairs and Work and Pensions Committees are holding a joint inquiry into welfare policy in Northern Ireland. The inquiry will consider the impact of the mitigation package, and how the alternative payment arrangements in Northern Ireland are working in practice.It is for the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland to provide the necessary information to facilitate this inquiry.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Development: Disclosure of Information

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has entered into with departmental staff in each of the last five years.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade (DIT) was set up in July 2016. There have been no non-disclosure agreements signed with employees working for DIT or UK Export Finance (UKEF) since this date.

Department for International Development: Secondment

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of  25 March 2019 to Question 234783 on Department for International Development: Secondment, what teams within his Department the 21 requested roles from the Department for International Development will be in.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Development has deployed 21 staff into EU Exit priority roles in the Department for International Trade as of 16th April 2019. Of these, 19 staff have been deployed into Trade Policy Group, 1 into Analysts and 1 into Human Resources.